ATWT's Luke and Noah heating things up

There has been a great deal of concern over how CBS would handle the GAY storyline between Luke (Van Hansis) and Noah (Jake Silbermann) on As The World Turns. Would the network treat Luke and Noah's romance the same as for their straight counterparts? Or would they handle it with kid gloves like it was still the 1950's and you couldn't show a couple in bed unless one of them had a foot on the floor?

After all, the network has moved cautiously with daytime TV's first male gay teen romance even going so far as to have Noah start a relationship with a woman first. Well, for those who doubted the network intended to go "there" with Luke and Noah, I think the photo below presents a pretty good indication this won't just be some chaste peck-on-the-cheek relationship.

No, they're not about to kiss (that comes a little later), but judging by this pretty steamy picture from this week's previews, something is clearly going on between our two boys — and it looks like great, soapy fun. It was great to have Luke's coming out storyline handled thus far in a non-sensationalistic way, but this is a soap opera and true equality for gays will be when the gay storylines are just as pulpy and sexy as the straight ones.

In the clip (which is after the jump) Luke and Noah appear to be fighting over a towel which is how they end up above. I can't wait see what preposterousness led to the scenario! The second clip is from last week when Luke explains to Noah what he has been going through since coming out, how lonely he has been, and why he can't be friends with a straight guy about whom Luke has no doubt been fantasizing this very scenario!